Morning Run
by Memoirs of a Lunatic
Summary: Wally always takes a morning run to calm his nerves. After the stress of being assigned monitor duty partners with Batman, and being threatened by a stranger who seems to have control over half of the super-villains, Flash realizes he's going to have to take a lot more morning runs than usual. Batflash. Eventually.
1. Chapter 1

This is actually the first Fanfiction I have ever written in my life, so I'm slightly nervous. I don't mind critic reviews or anything, and the next chapter will probably not be up for a while because, I'll admit it, I'm lazy and get distracted very easily.

I don't own these characters. *holds back tears*

I'm putting this as rated T for now, although it will probably be M in the future. Please forgive me for any spelling or grammar errors.

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Chapter One

The early morning air stung his cheeks as he sped down the quiet, nearly abandoned, street. This was how Wally's days always began. The feel of the tarmac under his boots, the way his eyes streamed from the cold. Running wasn't just a super power to him, it was his life. He needed this like J'onn needed Oreos. Like GL needed Shayera. Like Bats needed Diana…

No.

He wouldn't think about that. It hurt to think about that. He had to focus on running. His legs blurred with speed, he was just a smear of red and gold to passers by. Running made everything better.

The people of Keystone had grown used to seeing Flash every morning. He always ran the same route. He would start off around the outskirts of the city, the identical suburban streets of plain white houses and perfectly manicured grass. Then, he would run to the inner city. It was always busy there, even at just six in the morning. Wally didn't usually stay in that area long. He might be fast, but speeding around moving vehicles for too long was a death wish. He would usually end up running around his favorite part of Keystone; the small backstreets and alleyways half a mile or so away from Main Street. These alleyways always gave Wally a challenge. Running on an empty street was too easy. Running on a street with moving vehicles was too risky. These alleyways provided obstacles for him to dodge or jump. Boxes, bins, even the occasional cat.

That was where Wally was now. He had come to the end of a street leading back to the center of Keystone. He sharply swerved left into an alleyway with some nice big boxes of rubbish for him to evade. Wally grinned. This was good training for reflexes.

Just as he neared a particularly disgusting bin, his ear communicator came to life.

"Flash, report to the Watchtower." J'onn said in his familiar monotone voice. The sudden interruption of J'onn in his ear had set him off track.

Wally promptly crashed into the bin.

After brushing himself down and checking that no one had seen the bin incident, Wally touched his earpiece and replied to J'onn.

"Bit early, isn't it? It's, what, seven?"

"I know, Flash, but it is an emergency. Superman has called the original seven for a meeting."

"Supes has never heard of being polite, huh? I could've been sleeping. Can't this wait? There's a packet of Oreos in it if you come up with an excuse for me to miss this meeting." J'onn seemed to be almost contemplating this offer, but thought better of it.

"Flash, orders."

"Fine." This wasn't going to be a good day, the speedster could feel it. Whenever his morning routine got interrupted, it was always because of bad stuff.

After he had been teleported up to the Watchtower, Wally deliberately walked to the meeting room slowly. He didn't like it in there. A part of Wally had never grown up, so being stuck in a boring room at a table for hours didn't appeal to him.

He was the last one to get to the meeting, Wally swore Superman gave him a glare, but he couldn't be sure.

"You know, kid, for the fastest guy here, you do take a while to get to meetings." GL laughed as he said it. Hawkgirl smiled and shook her head at Wally. They were the only two in the room who didn't look serious. The speedster began to wonder why, until he realised that they were sitting next to each other. Hawkgirl had moved over into Flash's seat, meaning...

Wally had to sit next to Batman. The one man who scared him shitless and turned him on at the same time. Wait, J'onn was in the room.

Bad brain.

Very bad brain.

He didn't want the others in the league to get an idea of his crush for a certain caped crusader. Speaking of whom, Bats was looking very moody today. Maybe it was because he had to sit next to the speedster. Then again, Wally reasoned, Bats was always grouchy anyway.

The red-clad man inwardly sighed and sat down next to Batman. This was going to be a long meeting, longer than usual.

_7:30_

Superman talked about the expanding league. Who was staying, who was leaving, who's shifts were who's. _'Normal, uninteresting meeting filler'_ Wally thought.

_'Why is Bats so tense all the time.'_ He shot a the man a quick glance. Batman was sitting stiffly in his chair, unmoving. He wasn't slouching on the back of his chair like Wally was.

_'How is his back even dealing with all that strain he must be putting on it.'_ Oh wait, Wally knew. It was because he was the goddamn Batman. Wally resumed his job of being bored to death.

_8:30_

Superman was still talking. _How was Superman still talking?!_ Nothing interesting had been said. Nothing about evil guys or plans to take down crime groups, just stuff to do with the League itself. Batman was still sitting up straight like his life depended on it. Wally found himself staring at Batman's back instead of concentrating on what was being said.

He sat and watched and willed for Bats to slacken, just a little, but he didn't. Wally made a vow to never take his eyes off the caped crusaders back until it had moved, even an inch.

"Flash." Superman's voice rang out across the room, and the speedster realised he was being watched by everyone. He slowly drew his eyes away from Batman's back and looked Superman in the eye. He couldn't gather the courage to look and see if Batman had noticed his staring.

"Flash, I asked you a question." Superman said more sternly.

"Oh…I, uh…" Wally began to babble. He hadn't realised that Superman could glare so fiercely, but he had been wrong.

"Honestly, Flash, you really need to listen to what's being said." Superman scolded, and Wally ducked his head in shame. His prediction earlier about how crap today was going to be was correct.

"What was the question?" He mumbled, his face still lowered. He could feel eyes on his skin, and he knew that one pair belonged to the Bat sitting next to him.

He really had to stop thinking this stuff. J'onn could be inside his brain. Right now. Reading his mind.

"I asked whether you had a problem with taking monitor duty with Batman."

Ohh _shit_.

"Erm…well I'm not really sure…" Wally rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly. A quick glance to his left confirmed the fact that Bats still had his eyes on him.

"We'll take that as a yes." GL smirked at Wally as he said it. Nobody wanted monitor duty with Batman. It's wasn't that nobody liked him; it was just that he was a pretty tedious guy to have duty with. He never spoke; he just got on with whatever it was that had to be done.

Monitor duty schedule was decided every year. Last year, Wally had been with Diana. That was where he had found out about her crush on Batman. Ever since, Wally had been keeping an eye on them when they were together. He couldn't deny it, they made a pretty cute couple, but the jealously had ripped through him. Ever since he had joined the league, Wally'd had a huge man-crush on the Bat. He was pretty certain his feelings weren't reciprocated.

Monitor duty didn't just mean sitting at a screen for two hours, either. The person who you were paired up with was sort of your partner for the next year. That would mean he and Bats would be working together pretty much 24/7.

Wally mentally face palmed. He should really say something to stop this catastrophe, but his lips had glued themselves together.

He nodded his head meekly.

Another glance sideways, and his eyes caught with Batman's. There was a long second where neither of them moved, but then Batman dragged his gaze away and asked Superman an unrelated question that Wally didn't care about.

Argh. What the fuck had just happened? He had counted on Batman and Wonder woman being together this year. Wally honestly wouldn't have minded having J'onn as a monitor duty partner. They could have just pigged out on Oreos the whole time. Instead of that heaven, Wally was stuck with a brooding Bat for 2+ hours.

Batman didn't seem the type for Oreos, Wally thought grimly.


	2. Chapter 2

I haven't got a beta for this story (I'm kind of determined to do it alone) so, again, forgive me for any mistakes, although I was told there weren't any last chapter.

Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed or just generally clicked on the fanfic. I love you all. In a friend way.

**Guest**: Yeah, I do write non-fan work from time to time. :)

Additional thanks to **RoyLovesWally**,** BatMoon** (who has a Batflash fanfic as well - go read it), **Smiley656** and the other **anonymous reviewer**. Internet high-fives for you all.

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Chapter Two

The first monitor duty had gone surprisingly well, mainly due to the fact that Batman hadn't been there. He'd been called away after another minor breakout at Arkham. Honestly, Wally wondered why Batman even cared any more. The speedster was pretty sure that there must be a full-scale breakout every month. Thank god Flash's rogues weren't that bad.

Once again, Wally was taking a morning run before going to the Watchtower. At least he didn't have a job; or he'd have a problem telling his boss where he went in the mornings and evenings. Flash always had the afternoons off, although he usually spent them hanging around the Watchtower anyway.

'Maybe I should just get a job', he thought, as he narrowly dodged a speeding yellow car.

It wasn't as if he was stupid, he'd passed pretty much all of his exams. In fact, he was good, if not downright awesome, at science. Maybe he should do something related to that.

He'd have to ask the league, though. Getting a job would change his timetable for when he was on duty. If he were lucky, maybe his timetables would change so that he didn't have to work with the Bat and make a complete ass out of himself.

Wally had been running since five. It usually allowed for a two hour run, something that would leave even him tired. He had a reason, though. Today would be his second monitor duty of the year, and Arkham was secure again. Where was the Joker when you needed him? That crazy bastard usually distracted the Batman for weeks.

He slowed down, and came to an abrupt stop outside a small coffee shop. The speedster had recently been coming here every morning. The shop wasn't very big, and rarely had many customers, which Wally liked. He was a regular here, as Flash and as Wally. He knew he should be more careful about his identity, but he had always been slightly reckless.

"Flash! Nice to see you again, buddy!" The large man, named Rick, behind the counter smiled at Flash like an old friend.

"Right back 'atcha." Wally grinned happily. He was sure Rick already knew who the Flash was. Wally had been hanging around this place as both his identities, and because he didn't change his voice when he put the cowl on, it was pretty obvious who he was.

Again, he should be more careful, but the slightly overweight man was hard not to trust.

"A coffee, please. Heavy on the sugar." Flash never actually paid there and then for his coffees. After all, he didn't have pockets in his suit or anything. Flash would have his coffee in the morning, and Rick would find some money on the counter in the evening. It had always been this way.

Wally sat down with his steaming cup of liquid tastegasm, and took a sip. This place really did the best coffee.

He checked the clock on the wall; he had half an hour until he needed to be at the Watchtower, there was no rush.

A scream from outside pierced his ears.

Wally held back the urge to roll his eyes. Couldn't the world just let him drink his freakin' coffee first?

Standing up, he zoomed outside and towards the source of the shrieking.

Captain Cold. Again. Wally hated to sound like a douche, but couldn't he get some new, or eviler, super villains?! Gotham had loads of interesting bad guys. Wally got all the nutters.

"Cold, just give up." Wally shouted, half-arsed. This wouldn't last long. He would be sipping coffee again in a short while.

Maybe he should concentrate.

"You know how this goes. I say something funny, you monologue for a minute or two, yadda yadda yadda, you get arrested."

Captain Cold laughed mockingly.

"Not this time, Flash."

"C'mon, man, I'd like to think that we're friends. Help me out a little bit here."

"I'm sorry, on any other occasion I'd be happy to help out my favourite speedster, but I'm afraid I have a job to do." The comment sounded almost genuine.

Flash came to a halt about five cars away from Cold. The street was deserted, everyone seemed to have gone and hidden, including the source of the screaming. Wally really couldn't blame them. Captain Cold has his cooperative moments and his non-cooperative moments. This was one of the latter.

"What do you mean 'a job'?"

"Really, Flash, telling you would be slightly counter-productive, wouldn't you say?" Cold raised his ice guns and aimed for the speedster.

"Whooa!" Flash said in alarm as he narrowly missed a blast that could have potentially frozen him.

"You're totally serious, aren't you?" Wally's voice wavered. He wasn't used to this from his rogues. 'I didn't mean the thing about getting eviler bad guys, I swear' Wally subconsciously said to whatever god was listening.

"Stay still, damn you." Captain Cold said through gritted teeth. He'd managed to miss the speedster four times, encapsulating two cars in a covering of ice. A thought seemed to glimmer through his mind, showing on his face for a brief second, before he fired a round of ice at the road beneath Flash.

Flash slipped on the ice, and tried to use his speed to stay upright, yet it only made things worse. 'Note to self; buy better boots' was his first thought as he landed harshly on the frozen ground, crushing his own arm beneath him. A bolt of pain shot through his body.

A triumphant smirk flicked across the super villain's face before he began walking towards Flash, his guns aimed at the speedster's head.

"Don't even think about moving, my friend." Cold raised a small metal device around the wrist of his other hand to his mouth.

"Yeah, I've got him. Don't thank me 'til you get here, knowing our luck he'll escape in five minutes."

"Make that two." Came a voice from above the villain and the hero.

"Oh hi GL." Wally said happily, his voice slightly thick with the pain coming from his arm. He had seriously thought he was doomed for a second, there. Thank god GL always came to the rescue.

"Though you might want some help." GL smirked at the speedster, who was seated on the ground.

"My hero!" Wally humoured him. In an instant, GL had secured Captain Cold in one of his force fields as Wally watched on. A distant police siren reached their ears.

Cold hadn't said anything since reporting his supposed capture of Flash. He had just lowered his head to stare sullenly at the ground. Wally thought it strange that he wasn't trying to fight. Something weird was going on.

Finally, a group of police cars reached the scene.

"'Bout time!" Wally had shouted in the direction of the officers, who were hurriedly getting out of the cars.

He had begun to try and stand up, but he really needed the strength of both his arms to do it. GL saw his struggle, and flew down to meet him.

"Having some trouble, kid?" He grinned, although a tinge of worry laced itself into his words.

"I fell heavy on my arm, might have broken it. How did you know I was in trouble?" Wally questioned seriously. He didn't feel like a cracking any jokes anymore. The slight adrenaline from dodging the ice guns had worn off, and the pain was beginning to get more pronounced.

"You're late for your shift, J'onn located where you were. We can treat your arm at the Watchtower." John smiled at him before turning his head towards an approaching young officer.

"Um, Mr Green Lantern, sir, we kinda need to arrest this guy and your bubble is getting in the way."

"My apologies." GL removed the force field from around Cold, and a group of ten cops instantly sprung on him. Wally noted that, again, he wasn't putting up a fight at all. He frowned, and felt himself being pulled up by John.

"Come on, we better get you back."

"So, will you be okay, then?" Hawkgirl asked for the fifth time in ten minutes. Wally and Hawkgirl were sitting on chairs in the Watchtower's medical room. They were the only people in there.

"Listen, I swear on all the food in my fridge, I'm not going to die, Hawkgirl." A smile crossed the woman's face.

"You can call me Shayera, you know." She said, prodding him gently on the chest. Wally hadn't gotten used to the whole first name thing yet. The league had only been around for just over a year, and he hadn't felt really relaxed with personal stuff yet. Not to mention, there were a couple of new people entering the league, which meant that complete strangers could overhear things.

"And what about you, Flash? Will your identity ever be revealed?" She ruffled his hair slightly.

"No, but I'm sure you could squeeze the information out of a certain Bat." It was well known to the league members that Batman knew everyone's secret identity. This was in case one of them went rogue, or so he could keep them safe if they got into trouble. It made Wally feel far from safe.

"I might just do that." Hawkgirl teased, mussing up his ginger hair again. This led to a play fight in which Flash had tried to wrestle Hawkgirl's mace off of her. She laughed loudly, filling up the room with a happy, warm feeling, and jokingly made to grab the mace back.

Then, suddenly, the room seemed to drop a few degrees in temperature, and Wally felt a tingle go through him, as a caped figure stepped into the room.

"H-hi Bats." Wally mentally kicked himself right away for stuttering.

"I would suggest not fooling around, Flash. You might injure your arm further." That was the most Flash had ever heard him say without a break. Hawkgirl immediately stopped pulling at her mace.

"So. What brings you to medical room on this fine morning?" If Bats could sound fancy with his properly constructed sentences, then so could the speedster.

"I'm here to treat your arm." Batman said in his usual flat voice, as he approached the two other league members. Taking advantage of Flash's slight shock at this revelation, Hawkgirl pulled her mace from Flash's slackening grip.

"Well, I can see you're busy here Flash, see you at lunch. Bye!" She practically ran to the door.

Flash and Batman watched her go. There was a moment of silence. Wally was the first to break it.

"Does my arm mean I get out of monitor duty?"

"No."

"Not even for today?"

"No."

"Are you gonna stop saying no?"

"No." Batman sat down in Hawkgirl's chair, and pulled it closer to Wally's. The caped crusader took the speedster's arm gently, and began to feel around the bones.

"AGH. WHAT THE HELL, MAN." Wally jumped up when a spasm of pain flitted through his body. This meant his arm got jerked violently, and he jumped in agony again.

"Flash. Stay still."

"How do you expect me to do that when you're trying to break my arm again?!"

"If we don't hurry this up, Flash, your accelerated healing might mean the bone heals in the wrong way."

"Yeah. I know. I'm the guy who has to live with this stuff, not you." Batman didn't say anything in response to that. They sat there for a couple of minutes, Flash wincing in pain at every movement, Batman pressing his fingers into the speedster's arm.

"Do I have to have an x-ray?" Wally asked after what had seemed like ten years. He'd never had an x-ray in his life.

"Yes. In fact, we'll do it now." Wally felt his face redden slightly at the Bat's choice of words. 'That wasn't even innuendo' he told himself. Thankfully, the other man hadn't seemed to notice Flash's cheeks flush.

After the x-ray had been done, Wally sat back down.

"At least the break was clean." Batman mumbled more to himself than to Wally, as he walked back to the seats, and the speedster, with the x-ray results.

"Does that make the healing part easier?" Wally asked, a slightly impatient tone in his voice. This was really awkward, and he wanted to go. Here he was, having his arm manhandled by the person he fancied, and said person wouldn't even look him in the eye or speak to him like a friend. Wally always made friends with people, even the majority of his enemies. Being rejected like this was hurting him slightly.

Batman didn't answer his last question, he just sat straight down next to Wally, set the broken arm in a straight position and promptly put a cast and sling on the speedster.

"You can take the cast off in a couple of days, your arm will be fine in under two weeks." And with that, the caped crusader was gone from the room, and Wally was left with an empty feeling in his stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi again everybody! Sorry I haven't updated for a while.

**RoyLovesWally**: You'll have to wait for a few more chapters, then. Mwa ha ha. (I'm kind of big on stories with anticipation :3)

**JuubiOokami**: Yes, Batman is being a bit cold at the moment. Hopefully he'll warm up in the later chapters *suggestive wink*

Thanks to the other **guest** and **Mizuki hikari **who left reviews.

Again, thanks to everyone who's favorited, followed and read. Your continued support is really nice. :)

* * *

Chapter Three

"Listen, Cold, there's a reason you attacked The Flash. It's our job to find out why." The disgruntle-looking police officer said, whilst accidentally spitting in the rogue's face.

The two figures were in a small grey room. There was a metal door, a chair, a table and a small light bulb situated just above the two men's heads. Apart from this, the room was completely bare.

"We've been given orders from the Justice League to uncover your motives for what happened earlier today."

Captain Cold, who was seated on the single chair, continued to look through the police officer, not seeing him.

"You're not worth my time." The beefy looking officer spat, turning around towards the door, and exiting the room.

He took his time walking back from the cell in which Captain Cold had been.

Officer Davies wasn't really in a rush to get back to his job. The longer it took him to get to his paperwork, the less paperwork he'd have time to actually do. It was only when he got back to his small stuffy office when he noticed that something was odd.

He walked into the cramped room, and turned to close the door. Turning back, he came nose to nose with an all too familiar face.

"B-b-batman?" His usually quite husky voice was reduced to a squeak.

"I'm glad you've heard of me, it spares the introduction." Batman stated simply. Davies opened his mouth once or twice until he finally managed to say something.

"I-I'm-"

"Officer Davies. I know."

"Uh, well, right." The shorter man's eyes were wide, and he was visibly shaking. He'd been at this job for twenty years, encountered numerous rapists and serial killers, none of which had scared him. Batman had broken a record.

"I'm here to see Cold. You've just spoken to him, correct?" The caped figure questioned. Davies nodded his head slightly.

"Has he said anything?"

"Well…no. He doesn't even look at me. It's like he's been trained not to communicate or something." The officer had begun to regain his confidence. "Now, you see here, Batman, you can't just be walking into a police office. We have rules and-"

"-I'm aware, officer, but getting Cold to talk is more important. Take me to him."

"W-we can't just…" The man stopped his stuttering when Batman shot him a glare. Without another word, the officer handed the caped crusader the cell key, which he'd been clutching in his hand, and opened the door for the other man.

"Thank you, officer."

"No problem."

* * *

With his cast and sling getting in the way, it was difficult for Wally to run fast back to his flat.

He had decided, after having his arm treated, that there was no point staying in the Watchtower for now. His shift was in five hours, and he might as well get some rest before having to face the Bat again.

After sleeping briefly, and still having four hours left, Wally went back to Rick's coffee shop. This time, he went as himself, and not as the speedster. Regardless, Rick was still friendly towards him.

"Afternoon, Wally! You should have seen Flash in here earlier, dashed off without finishing his coffee!" Wally swore he had seen the middle-aged man wink, but he couldn't be sure.

Rick's eyes glanced down at Wally's cast for a fraction of a second, before diverting back up to the young man's face.

"What can I get you today, kid?"

"The usual, please." Wally said, grinning. The speedster decided to pay for his earlier coffee now, instead of leaving the money here later. He gave Rick double the amount of money that the single coffee cost, but neither said anything about it. Wally went to sit down, and Rick went back to serving customers.

Wally checked his watch.

He still had ages left until his death sentence, so he might as well take his time here. Hopefully, he wouldn't get interrupted like before. These coffees were going to cost him a lot of money if he never had a chance to finish them.

His mind wandered for half an hour. He thought about his family, where his life was going, but mostly, he thought about the League.

He'd barely known any of them for that long, although they did all seem to like him. Apart from Batman. The only person Batman seemed to talk to was Superman, but they always spoke with resentment for each other. Thinking about it, Batman spoke to Wonder Woman as well.

It didn't take someone with a brain to realize that they felt something for each other. Well, at least, Wonder Woman felt something for Batman. Nobody knew what Batman felt. J'onn had once tried to look into Batman's mind as a dare (put up by Wally, of course). After what had happened in the end, nobody had fucked with Batman for a while.

Most of the members of the League agreed, Batman and Wonder Woman would be good with each other. The five of the other members talked about this subject all the time, especially when there was nothing else to do or say. Of course, nobody told the Princess or the Bat about what was being said. Wally had always expected Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman to gossip together, but the two didn't seem to get along at all.

Wally sighed, and finished his now cold coffee. The League was stressful at the moment.

He decided to head back home.

* * *

Batman pulled up another chair, which had been placed in the interrogation cell, and sat down. Staring the villain on the other side of the table in the eye, he began asking questions.

At first, Cold had said nothing. He occasionally shook his head, or brought his eyes to Batman's, but for most of the first hour he remained completely still and silent.

It was only three hours in that he had begun to talk.

"Cold. For the past few hours, I've restrained myself from physically smashing your head off of the table. My will-power is running out." A flicker of fear showed itself in the rogue's eyes. _'He's beginning to break'_ Batman thought to himself.

"Whatever it is, whoever told you to take Flash captive, we can protect you. Just tell me, and it will be over." Captain Cold let out a huge sigh, like he'd been holding in all his breath for the past few hours.

"Fine. I'll give in, but I won't tell you everything."

"Isn't that usually how these villain plots go?" Batman said, sarcastically, grinding his teeth slightly. Cold ignored what the vigilante had said.

"I'm working for someone. Some_thing_. It wanted me to capture Flash, and it didn't say why." Looking over the 'it' part, Batman continued to question the man.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Not completely."

"What else is there?"

"It told me that you were next."

Wally was teleported up into the Watchtower for the second time that day. He was ten minutes early for monitor duty, but if that meant he got first pick of the chairs in the monitor room, he was happy.

Jogging towards his destination, Wally saw the figure of Batman, who was also headed to the monitor room.

"Aaaaaand…overtaken!" He said, laughing, as he sped past the particularly grim looking man.

Coming to a halt inside the room, he quickly eyed the more comfortable looking chair, and sat down in it just as Batman came in.

"Flash, we have to talk."

" 'Bout what?" The speedster said, stuffing a handful of salty popcorn into his mouth from a bag in his lap.

Batman didn't ask where the popcorn had magically come from.

"About what happened earlier."

"Oh right. Well, my arm is already feeling better-"

"Not about that. About why Captain Cold lured and attacked you." Batman had sat down in the chair next to the speedster, and had begun to work on the monitors, before swiveling his chair towards Wally.

"Did you find something out?" Wally quizzed.

"Yes, and no. It seems there was an ulterior motive for what he did."

"Huh? No, it was just regular bad-guy stuff."

"No, Flash, it wasn't." Batman's eyes were boring into Wally face, and the speedster could feel the familiar tingle of nervousness in his stomach. Wally pulled his chair closer to Batman's, and crossed his legs on it.

"What do you mean, Bats?" Batman's face showed a slight annoyance at the pet name.

"He was hired by someone."

"For money?"

"No. I don't know why, but it wasn't for money."

"So…is it going to happen again?"

"Maybe."

Batman shot Wally a small smile of reassurance, which completely shocked Wally into silence.

"It's nothing to be worried about, though, Flash. Yet."


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! Again, sorry for taking so long with the updating. This chapter is mainly a lot of plot. There is oncoming batfluff, I swear!

Once more, thanks to everyone who's supporting me, you're great help. :)

Special thanks to **GirlAtThePiano** and **AidenSurvival** who left reviews.

**AidenSurvival**: Thanks for following :D Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Four

It had been one week since the rogue attack, and Wally's arm had healed so much that he no longer needed the sling, although he kept a bandage on his still tender arm.

The speedster was sitting (well, sprawling) on one of the chairs in the Watchtower. Most of the League was with him; the day had been a lazy one, with hardly anyone to go and help. Wally liked days like this. Everyone could sit down together and just chill out. He had spent the day talking to the others and teasing Superman. Supes was pretty easy to wind up, but Wally had decided to stop after a while. He didn't feel like dodging lasers today.

The speedster looked over at Batman. He was sitting next to Wonder Woman, and talking quietly. They were sitting close together, legs only a few inches from touching. Batman's body was straight and facing forwards, but Wonder Woman's was angled, almost painfully, in the direction of the caped crusader.

Wally felt a pang of jealousy as he looked at the princess. Not everyone got to sit so close to the caped crusader and keep their heads.

With nothing else to do, he continued to sneakily gaze in the direction of the two. He knew he shouldn't, they were having a private conversation, but he couldn't stop himself. For about the twentieth time that week, he found himself ogling the Bat.

The caped crusader was _still _tense looking, despite being sat on one of the most comfortable chairs in the world, in Wally's opinion.

_His back. His goddamn back is all stiff again._

The speedster began to wonder what the two were talking about. Wonder Woman seemed to be getting closer to Batman, and her eyes constantly flickered down to his mouth.

_I can't do this_, Wally thought. He stood up, mumbled some bullshit excuse, and left the room.

As he walked slowly down the corridor, someone grabbed his arm. He found himself half wishing that he would turn around and see Batman, but instead, Hawkgirl stood there.

"What was that all about?" She questioned. "You just suddenly walked out of the room."

"I'm not feeling well."

"Really? Because back in there, you said something about going to visit a relative."

Wally had nothing to say to that. Softening, Hawkgirl spoke again.

"Is there something wrong, Wally? You're like a brother to me, just say what it is." Wally gave a shrewd look around where they were standing. Anyone could overhear them where they were, and Wally really didn't want that to happen.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you can't say anything."

"You know I wouldn't. Come on, let's go to the canteen to talk."

They walked silently for a little while before Wally spoke up.

"Have you ever fancied someone who you didn't think it was a good idea to fancy?"

Hawkgirl just stared at him blankly.

"Uh…well…my friend has this 'thing' for another guy, but the other guy is pretty scary. And he might be in a relationship already."

"So when you say your 'friend' you mean you, right?"

Wally nodded meekly.

"How did I know." She said sarcastically. "Who's the other guy, then?"

"Uh…B-batman?" He replied, almost whispering. Hawkgirl abruptly stopped walking.

"Did I just hear that right?"

"If you heard 'Batman', then…yeah." She turned to him, her eyes wide, hand clutching his arm again.

"Flash, why? Just why?"

"I-I don't know! I just do!" He stammered defensively. "You can't choose who you fancy!"

"I know that, but, Flash, it's just-" She sighed, "-I don't know how Batman will react to this."  
"You said you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"He's going to find out at some point. You can't keep this to yourself forever."

"I know. That's why I told you." They started walking towards the canteen again; Hawkgirl was pointedly avoiding his eyes.

"Now that I've told someone, the feelings will go away, right? My mind won't be worrying about them so much anymore."

"Flash…I don't think it's that simple." She looked at him, pity betraying her features. They had reached the canteen. Seeing as it was both too early and too late for any food, they just sat down at a table and resumed talking.

"Do you think I should tell him?" Wally asked a little while later.

"I don't know. I guess it's up to you."

"Have _you_ told GL yet?" The speedster asked, smirking.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah you do. Don't deny it!" At this, Hawkgirl made a sort of frustrated growling sound.

"I'm right, aren't I?" He laughed. "You two should get together. You'd be cute."

"Who'd be cute?" A deep voice behind Wally asked. The speedster turned and immediately saw GL standing a few meters away. Hawkgirl's face was white.

"Heh, I'll just leave you guys alone." He said, backing out of the room.

* * *

_Maybe I should be the Justice League's version of cupid_, Wally thought, as he was teleported back down to earth.

He'd probably helped GL and Hawkgirl get together, he could always help out with Wonder Woman and Batman (Although he grimaced at the idea of that) and then he could pair up…Supes and J'onn? He couldn't see that happening. _Ah well_.

To celebrate his first matchmaking success, he headed towards the direction of Rick's coffee shop. He would've gone there anyway, but it was always nice to find an excuse.

He hadn't had a run this morning, so his legs had practically been aching for some exercise. He did a few laps around the city before finally stopping in front of the familiar building.

Only, it wasn't open. _That's weird_. It was about four in the afternoon; Rick's shop was always open then.

Wally peered in through the window, the place looked abandoned. The speedster knew for a fact that Rick and his family lived over the top of the shop. _They always leave a note on the inside of the door if they are away or on holiday_.

Worried, Wally knocked on the door of the house next door. Usually he wouldn't do this, but he was concerned for his friend.

After a few minutes, a young blond woman came to the door. She was cradling a baby and talking on a phone at the same time, the object wedged between her shoulder and ear.

"Yeah. Yeah. Uh-huh. Okay, then. Seeya." She said into the phone. She raised her eyes to the man on her doorstep.

"Hi." Wally grinned at her. He realized, too late, that he was still in his suit. Oh well. That couldn't be helped now.

"Oh my…y-you're Flash!" She said in shock.

"That's me, yeah." They both grinned.

"Can I help you with anything?" The woman asked, still looking slightly dazed.

"Uh yeah, actually. What happened to the shop next door? Did you know the guy, Rick, who owned it? Where is he?"

"Oh. We don't know what happened to him. He just disappeared. I last saw him yesterday. We called the police and everything, but they said he'd probably just gone away for a while."

"Did you see anyone hanging around when he went missing?" The girl thought for a little while, rocking her baby as she did so. Wally was chewing his lip nervously.

"There was a black car outside the shop, right before he went missing."

"Is that all you remember?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry I can't be more help."

"That's okay. Gotta go now." He faked a smile.

"Bye!" She said enthusiastically, typing a number into her phone as she closed the door. _Probably telling her friends that she just met me_.

The speedster walked slowly away from the door, deep in thought.

Why would anyone want to take Rick? He'd figured out that the people in the black car had taken him; it seemed like the only thing that could've happened. Even if Rick had been called away urgently for some reason, he would still leave some sort of message for his customers.

But again, why Rick? He was a relatively good man, no enemies (The man was too nice) what would men in black cars want with him?

Wally stood outside the shop, gazing in at the darkened room as he thought to himself.

It had to be because he knew something or knew someone that the black cars wanted.

_This is all very Sherlock Holmes-y_.

Could it be…? No. It wouldn't be, would it? Could Rick have been kidnapped because of Wally? The speedster thought back to all the times where Rick had indicated that he knew who Flash was. Somebody must have been watching him.

Suddenly, Wally was aware. If they had Rick, (and probably his family) then they were looking for Wally. He touched his ear communicator, and contacted the first person he could think of. Batman.

"Bats, I-"

He needed to get home, he needed to…

An arm slid itself around Wally's head, as a cloth soaked in something pressed itself against Wally's nose and mouth.

Everything went black.

* * *

Cliffhanger. Because I'm evil like that.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't like typing when I have a cold. I have to stop every five seconds to wipe my nose with a tissue. -_-

More plot, although we are approaching the climax of the story, which will be followed by Batflash.

Thanks to everyone who favourited, followed and clicked on the story. Special thanks to **Sassbrat**, **GirlAtThePiano**, **Bat-Dove**, **AidenSurvival**, **Snowdevil The Awsome** and **CactusNoir** who left reviews.

**Bat-Dove**: I agree with you so much. I actually wish Question was in this story now so that he could kick some abductor butt. Ah well. Maybe next time.

**AidenSurvival**: Damn you, now I have a plot bunny in my head. T.T

* * *

"Shayera, Shayera, listen to me, it wasn't your fault. None of this was your fault." The Justice League (Or what was left of them) sat in one of the Watchtower's rooms comforting Hawkgirl. She was a strong, brave woman but faced with the disappearance of her ' little brother' her nerves had broken. Even Wonder Woman was sympathetic, although the two never usually got along.

Batman stared out of the window onto the surface of the earth. It had surprised him the first time he had been into Space; he could hardly see the earth at all. Obviously, he should've known better, but instead of seeing the bold blues and greens of the seas and lands, he saw a milky covering dulling down the colours. It was strange how something so beautiful could be hidden away behind such a thin layer of cloud.

Somewhere down there on that round sphere was Flash. The stupid, immature boy that the whole league loved.

Including him.

The room was only missing one person, but it felt like it was missing five. The bright red of the speedster's costume, along with his sunny personality, lit up whatever room he was in, never failing to cheer up even the caped crusader himself. (Although though he never showed it)

Standing abruptly, his cape drifting through the air to follow the movement of his now straightened legs, he turned to Hawkgirl, who was currently being hugged by Green Lantern.

They had decided to get together shortly before news of Wally's disappearance had reached them.

"Hawkgirl, I promise you, we will find him." Batman said.

Turning her tear-stained cheeks towards him, Hawkgirl nodded and wiped at her face with the back of her hand.

Batman strode out of the room. It was bad enough that Flash was gone, but he couldn't stay in there whilst Wonder Woman kept glancing over at him every few minutes.

At first, he had felt some sort of attraction towards her. Lust, perhaps. After all, she was powerful, intelligent and knew how to flirt. The main items on Batman's checklist. Well, Bruce Wayne's. After all, Batman and Bruce Wayne were two very different people.

After a few weeks, though, Wonder Woman had started to grind on his nerves. Wherever he turned in the Watchtower, she was there giving him subtle looks. After a while, the caped crusader had lost whatever he felt towards her, and instead directed it to someone who had caught his eye since the start of the league, no matter how he'd tried to deny it.

Flash was such a kind human being it was almost sickening. Well, he supposed he had ought to call Wally by his real name now. It was about time the league became acquainted with each other, even though Batman had thought at first that it was a bad idea.

As far as he knew he was the only one here who was aware of Flash's identity. After all, if he wasn't stalking people, he wasn't doing his job right.

Now was probably a good idea to tell the other five who Flash was and what he looked like, seeing as they were meant to be searching for him, but by this point the caped crusader was too far away from where the rest of them were. It would be a better idea to just get on with tracking down where Wally had been last. He already knew the others were relying on his detective skills.

He would get more work done in the Bat cave, he knew. So instead of heading towards the monitor room, he teleported himself down to Gotham and headed towards Wayne manor.

After a good two hours of research, he had pinpointed the place where Wally had contacted him. It seemed to be on a side street just off from the center of Keystone.

Batman waited until semi-darkness before he made the journey towards his destination. Once he was outside of the small coffee shop where Flash had apparently disappeared, his detective mind had already spotted something unusual.

Peering in at the darkened shop, the caped crusader could see signs of a struggle. Some of the chairs had been overturned, and there was rubbish littering the floor, as well as (to Batman's horror) a small patch of dried blood.

Turning around to face the street, he immediately saw tire marks from a speeding car. They looked new.

Suddenly, his mind made the link. Flash had been threatened a few weeks before by whoever had sent the message through Captain Cold. It was pushing it, but had the same person abducted Flash? He had to find witnesses, but Batman wasn't the type to go ringing doorbells at seven o' clock in the evening.

He looked back at the coffee shop. It wasn't a branded shop, but it did look like it could afford security cameras, so…

It took him less than ten minutes to find a way inside without creating too much noise. Locating the area where the security footage was stored didn't take long, either, seeing as it was just stuffed in a corner of the kitchen area.

He looked through every tape until he found what he wanted. There was the speedster, facing the shop, obviously thinking over something. A dark shape moved behind him, reaching out and covering the man's mouth with a cloth probably dipped in chloroform. The speedster struggled slightly before slumping against the person's front. The man dragged Wally into a black car, which was waited by the curb, and then entered himself before the car sped away. 'The number plate's covered' Batman thought, gritting his teeth angrily. It felt like they were one step ahead. When he found out who had done this to Wally he would…

"Batman? Are you there?" The caped crusader's communicator came to life. GL was contacting him. It took a few seconds for Batman to remember where he was.

"Yes. I've found some information regarding Flash. It seems someone abducted him." The communicator crackled a bit in the silence that followed.

"…But Wally's too powerful to be abducted."

"They knocked him out and pulled him into a car, he couldn't do anything. There was no number plate on the car, either."

"Any idea on where we can start looking?"

"I recommend that the remaining founders all split up into three groups of two and patrol different areas. That way, we can cover triple the ground."

"Right. We'll meet you on Oak Street." And with that GL was gone.

By the time all six of them had gotten to the secluded street, it was nine o' clock. Hawkgirl seemed to have calmed down since earlier, and was now stony-faced.

"Who's going with who?" Superman asked GL.

"I'll go with Batman." He replied.

"Superman, you go with J'onn, and Hawkgirl goes with Wonder Woman."

Everyone nodded and went separate ways. The brief meeting had been tense. 'If Wally had been there, he would've lightened the situation slightly' Batman found himself thinking.

It was four in the morning by the time Batman and GL got any information. They had been questioning people in the slightly poorer area of Keystone, when they came across a suspicious group. It only took a little bit of intimidation to get them talking.

"W-we don't know what you're talkin' 'bout." One of the men said, as GL took hold of his collar and flew upwards slightly, the back of the man's shirt cutting into his skin.

"Please, man! Fine w-we'll talk!"

GL lowered him slightly, but still held him half a meter off of the rubbish-covered ground.

"O-okay, then. Well there's this… thing who's been offerin' people money to work for him."

"Got anything else slightly more helpful?" Batman asked from the shadows. He had decided to let GL handle this one.

"Uh, well, it…he's been working with all the super-villain guys to bring the Justice League down."

"Tell us something we don't know already." GL said, lifting the man up again slightly.

"Okay! Okay! I can tell you were to find one of the guys, but you have to meet me on Wightmans Street tomorrow evening, I don't feel safe saying anything here." GL looked suspiciously at the squirming man, but let go of his collar sending him crashing to the ground.

"Why did you let him go?!" Batman asked incredulously as the man they had been questioning sped off around a streetlight lit corner.

"He's not going to be there. You should've squeezed him for the information."

"Sometimes, you just have to trust people, Batman." He began to walk down the road away from where the man had run.

"Trust a criminal? You're out of your mind." Batman began to follow.

"Listen, let's just head back to the Watchtower. Hopefully the others have been more successful." GL proposed.

As soon as they'd gotten back, however, Superman contacted GL through the ear communicator.

"What is it?" GL asked, turning to Batman and mouthing 'Superman'. Batman nodded in understanding.

"It's about Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl, the abductors took them." GL's eyes widened in fear.


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter is coming out early to celebrate the beginning of December. Yay for Winter!

I also seem to always update chapters at really odd times. I live in England, and it's about 1:00am at the moment. Eh, it's probably the afternoon in most areas of America, which is where most of the readers of this live. Hey guys. How's it going across the pond?

This is repetitive, but I'd feel like a dick if I didn't write it at the top of every chapter, so thanks again to everyone who clicked on, favourited or followed the story. Special thanks to **GirlAtThePiano**, **Leikaru**, **AidenSurvival**, **snyderk161**, **Teamo-Seto** and the **anonymous guest** who left reviews for me to spaz out over due to happiness.

**AidenSurvival**: I legitimately laughed like an idiot at that.

**Teamo-Seto**: Your review is actually half the reason I updated so soon. Welcome back to the Batflash club :3

I think this is the longest chapter so far. Enjoy, everybody!

* * *

Chapter Six

GL was pacing the room by the time Superman and J'onn arrived at the Watchtower. Batman was sitting down, finger on chin, thinking quite deeply if his frowning face was anything to go by.

GL had practically taken the skin off of his forehead by the force of him rubbing at his face. _'Him and Hawkgirl have only been together briefly, to be pulled apart so soon must be killing him inside.' _Batman had thought when GL had started his pacing and forehead-rubbing twenty minutes ago. Bruce had felt the same when he had found out that Wally had been taken.

Superman and J'onn had been trying to track down the abductors, which had been why they had taken so long getting back. Batman logged this information into his mental profile of these 'abductors'. _'We know they're clever, fast and seem to have a vendetta against the Justice League. Or at least their "leader" does'_ the caped crusader thought bitterly, wondering which of the rogues was behind the plan this time.

J'onn sat down next to Batman. The Martian's eyes began to glow, and Batman knew that he was trying to contact the others who had been taken. Somehow, he already knew the alien would have no luck.

Superman placed a gentle hand on GL's shoulder.

"Sit down, take it easy. We'll find them, we always do." GL nodded reluctantly, and the two heroes took to sitting on the sofa opposite Batman and J'onn.

"Where do you think they've taken them?" Superman asked to cover up the awful silence.

"The better question is, which of us is next?" Batman grimly stated, his eyes narrowing and locking on the man of steel's baby blue ones. He might have been wrong, but the caped crusader swore that Superman's face had gone slightly grey at that.

"You think they're…alive, or…?" Superman didn't finish his sentence. Maybe that was a good thing. _'If he had, he might have jinxed the situation.' _Batman immediately scolded himself for that thought. When had he become so superstitious?

The sofa jerked slightly as J'onn regained consciousness. GL's eyes, which had been blankly staring into nothing for the past few minutes, now latched onto J'onn.

"Did you reach any of them? What did they say?" The man said quickly, desperately.

"I am sorry, I could not reach any of them. It is possible that they are all unconscious or-"

"-Dead." GL finished, and slumped back on the sofa whilst covering his face with his hands. "How could we let this happen to them?" Nobody spoke. "Who suggested the stupid idea? Who thought we should go and "look" for information?!" He sounded angry, his voice slightly muffled by his own hands.

Batman raised his eyes to look at the man, as GL stood up quickly.

"Was it you?" He asked Batman, his eyes ablaze with emotion. He walked towards the caped crusader, and suddenly, everyone was standing. Superman stood in front of Batman, almost protectively, as J'onn confronted GL who had taken a few quick steps forward.

"You're gonna protect him?" GL shouted incredulously "You're gonna protect the guy who lost us Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl?"

"It was nobody's fault, GL." Superman said calmly, hoping his tone of voice and the nickname would bring the man back down to earth.

"Don't protect him, Superman! Ever since the League began, he's always been causing trouble, arguments. He's not even a proper member, he didn't want to join in the first place!" GL was completely blinded by rage at this point. "What the hell makes him so special that you feel the need to protect him?!"

"Maybe he's right." Batman said, more to himself than anyone else as he put a firm hand on Superman's shoulder "This is my fault. I suggested that we go out and question people. I've always shown resentment for Flash. Maybe it's about time I leave the hero work to the actual heroes." And with that, the caped crusader turned and left the other three standing there in shock.

He had thought about walking out before. _'I don't have super strength, speed, telekinesis. I offer nothing to the league.' _Him leaving had always been a ticking time bomb. It was about time it went off.

He teleported himself back to Gotham and walked, slightly saddened, up the length of his drive towards the manor.

Even if he was no longer a member, he could still find Wally. That thought kept his stride confident.

* * *

Wally's cheek felt uncomfortable. Not a painful uncomfortable, but just…uncomfortable. It took him a little while to realized that the odd feeling was coming from the solid ground beneath his face, and that his cheek had been supporting all the weight of his head. His eyes were bleary when he opened them, he attempted to lift his arms to rub them with his hands but found that he couldn't. He tried again.

_'What the heck?!' _His arms weren't bound down to anything, but he couldn't lift them. It was like his muscles had just given up on him. There was a bright white light coming from above him, and his eyes were being slightly blinded by it.

"Whus gn on?" He slurred, trying to lift his head and finding that impossible too.

"You alright, kid?" A familiar voice rang out from somewhere near him.

"Rk?"

"Yeah, that's me. Just add some vowels next time and you'll be spot on." The man chuckled softly at his own joke. Wally's eyes had recovered somewhat, and he found himself latching them onto the man. Rick's face was gaunt and decidedly thinner than it had been last time Wally had seen him.

"Rk, why yu sittn on th wall?" Wally asked, hating the fact that he sounded drunk. He felt confused.

"I ain't sitting on the wall, kid, you're lying on your side." A smile warmed the man's unshaven face as he lowered himself to lie on the floor as well. As he did so, he waved to the speedster before raising himself to a sitting position again.

"See?"

"Oh. Yeh. I frgot." Wally closed his eyes and frowned with concentration as he attempted to lift his head. He managed to bring it an inch or so off the floor, when a sharp pain split itself along his scalp. He yelped as his head crashed back down on the floor painfully.

"Rk, why cn't I mve?" He asked desperately. Being someone who was used to moving around quite a lot, this inactivity was scaring him and making him feel impatient.

"They've given you something, Wals. I saw them inject it into ya."

"Cldn't you stp them?" His lips felt heavy as he spoke, but his word pronunciation was becoming slightly better.

"There's a glass wall between us, and one between you and the pretty lady next to you."

"Thre's somon nexto me?" As he was facing Rick whilst lying down, this woman must have been directly behind his back.

"Yup, kid."

"Dscrption?"

"Oh, uh, black hair, fair skin. Pretty. Muscles bigger than mine."

"Evryon's mscles ar bigger than yours." Wally grinned at the man as he joked. At least his wit was still here, even if his muscles had left him for dead.

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Rk, dos she lok fmiliar to you?"

"Vaguely, yeah."

"Wonder Woman?"

"Nah I don…Oh yeah, I think it is!" The man sounded excited as he said it, he'd obviously seen her in a newspaper, or perhaps on television.

"Hw culd you nt rcognse her bfor?!"

"She's not wearing her costume thingy!"

"She isn't?"

"No."

That had surprised him. Why wasn't she wearing her costume? Where the heck was he? He thought back to his last memory. _'The Watchtower…no, after than. I went…to Rick's shop! Yeah, that was right. And Rick…Rick wasn't there.'_

"Rk, tw qstions. One, whre were you? I wnt to th shop and you wrn't there! Secnd, wht th hell is Wndur Wumn wearin if sh's not in hr costm?"

"Don't worry, she not naked or anything. She's wearing what you and I are wearing, some prisoner suit or somethin'."

"Gd." He would've hated to see a friend disrespected and left on the floor without clothes. He realized then, that his mask was off and therefore his costume was gone. Shit. His costumes were difficult to make, dammit.

"And for the first thing, my family and I were taken by these people, that's why I wasn't at the coffee shop."

"M' srry, Rk. It's my fult you're here."

"It's okay, Wals. I'm more concerned about what happened to my family, to be honest." Wally's eyes widened. What if innocent people, innocent _friends _had died just because of him? Rick had children, had Wally condemned them to die just because their father had known some information on the speedster?

"Oh god. They rn't here?"

"No." Rick's voice sounded sadder that time. It hurt Wally a little, to hear his friend like that. Rick had always been the happiest guy he knew, it was wrong to hear him sound this way.

"Any chance you could get yourself out of here, kid? I'm pretty sure they only needed me because of you, and now you're here…well. I'm no use to them any more. I'd hate to see you die as well."

"Rk, dn't say that." Wally said seriously. He wasn't sure he could get out, anyway. His body felt like it weighed a million tons. It was even taking him effort to tap his fingers in a rhythm on the white tiled floor. He stopped doing it as soon as he realized. If he had been given some type of weakening agent, he had to preserve as much energy as possible. What was important now was finding out information.

"How lng have I been hre?"

"Uhh…a day. Maybe longer. Took you a while to wake up, I thought you were dead at first."

"Wonder Woman?"

"She got here a couple of hours ago. If you were anything to go by, it'll be a while before she wakes up. You can't really keep a hold of time down here. No windows. Don't know if it's day or night."

"Nd the people, Rik? Wht do they look lke?"

"The people who took us? They looked like normal criminals. They took us away in a fancy car, though. Makes me think there's a higher power behind all 'o this." The man said wisely.

Wally thought for a few minutes. If he could just regain his strength, maybe he could break Rick and Wonder Woman out.

Now he thought about it, why was the Princess here?! She had been fine and non-kidnapped when he was taken. If someone as powerful as her had been abducted…who else had fallen victim to the mysterious group of strangers?

"Rik, is thre anyon else in the othr cells 'round us?"

"Yup, there's another young lady. She's at the far end of the room for some reason."

"She?" Oh no, not Hawkgirl as well "Dos she hve red har? Lke mine?"

"Uh…yes." Wally's body slumped more against the cold floor. How had they done it? How had these seemingly normal criminals abducted three (maybe more) super-heroes? Even the regular rogues hadn't attempted and succeeded so quietly. Usually, the speedster was abducted during a noisy fight in the middle of a crowded city street. This time, they had just knocked him out on a side road.

If Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl were the only other leaguers in here, maybe that meant the other four knew what had happened, and were coming for them. _'After all, I did send a distress message to Bats' _He thought then again, he didn't want to lie here like the damsel in distress. He had to at least try to escape, but for that he would need his old strength back.

And with that final thought, he promptly slipped into unconsciousness yet again.

* * *

Not so much of a cliffhanger this time.

P.s, I swear to god the fluffy/smutty goodness is coming in a few chapters, let me just get this damn plot out of the way. *Glares at plot angrily*

Oh, and in regards to how long this story will be, I'm kind of thinking it might just scrape 20k.

So, in other words, we're...(Take it, Bon Jovi!) HALFWAY THEEERE, OHHH!

(Sorry, I'm feeling like an idiot today)


	7. Chapter 7

Ahhh...I do like me a nice cup of plot in the morning.

Although technically it's evening. For me.

Hello again. Thanks to everyone who clicked on, favourited or followed the story. Special high-fives to **GirlAtThePiano**, **snyderk161**, **Teamo-Seto**, **AidenSurvival** and the **anonymous guest** who left me some reviews.

**Guest**: I swear, I don't have anything against GL, he just accidentally turned into a bit of a dick in the last chapter.

**Teamo-Seto**: I will try my hardest at the smut/fluff scenes. Might take me a little while to work up the courage to write them, but I'll get there one day.

**AidenSurvival**: Yes, let's hope Batman doesn't find out, or all hell will break lose. Poor Wally D:

* * *

Chapter Seven

Batman perched above the streets of Gotham. It has been a few days since his resignation from the League, and he'd combated his mixed feelings by pummeling a couple of criminals to a pulp.

Nighttime had fallen like a blanket once more over the bustling city, and the lights from the buildings and streets sparkled warmly, almost invitingly, to a stranger's eye.

Bruce knew better.

Last night he had stayed in Keystone, looking for any information on where Wally could be. He wouldn't abandon the man, not yet. Tonight, however, he had decided to return to his territory, to the streets of Gotham. If he were absent for a few nights, people would start to notice and take advantage, and Batman wouldn't let that happen.

He hadn't had contact from the League since he'd quit. 'Maybe they've forgotten about me already' he thought, bluntly.

The sound of sirens in the distance alerted him, and without hesitation he leaped off of a building and swung towards the noise.

It turned out to be a fire. Three armed men had entered a jewelry shop and burnt it down after taking whatever they had wanted. By the time the police and firefighters had arrived, the men were gone and the shop had half collapsed, the people inside with it.

As the firefighters entered the ruins to look for survivors, Batman swung off in search of the culprits. It didn't take long to find them half a mile down the street entering an alleyway.

_'Could've at least hired a getaway driver'_ Batman thought, punching one man in the face and flooring another with an elbow jab. At last, the three men were down, cowering on the floor.

As the caped crusader handcuffed them to a convenient nearby pole, a blue and red shape shifted in the shadows. Batman froze, his body on edge until he realized that the shape was in fact Superman, his arms crossed and leaning against a wall.

Batman returned to tying up the criminals.

"Nice show."

"…"

"You really showed them wh-"

" Why are you here, Kent?" Superman looked slightly surprised at his name being used. Batman mentally kicked himself; he hadn't wanted the others to know he knew their identities. Too late now.

"I'm just going to overlook the whole Kent thing" Superman said plainly "GL's sorry."

"What, are you a school teacher forcing us to make up now?"

"No. I just…look, the League needs you, Batman." Batman turned his back on the kryptonian and fired his grapple gun at a nearby rooftop. With a quick press of a button, he was lifted away from the man of steel.

Of course, it wasn't that easy. Getting away from a man who can fly and use x-ray vision is near impossible.

Batman balanced on the edge of the building looking down on the sparse cars passing on the streets, the drunken men and women in the gutters outside the bars.

"I'm serious. We need you to help us find the others."

Batman rubbed his forehead as he heard Superman approaching him from behind.

"GL was right, I don't belong with you. If anyone can save the others, it's you three."

"Just…just come back to the Watchtower. Even if it's just until we find Flash." Batman stiffened.

"Oh yeah, Batman. Don't think we haven't noticed."

"What?"

"You and Flash."

"I don't know what you're referring to." Superman sat down next to Batman.

"I think you do."

Batman glared at the floor. Was he really _that_ obvious?

"This isn't the time to be talking about this." He said, standing.

"Why not?"

"Because…because it just isn't." He could feel himself blushing. Why was he blushing? He was meant to be intimidating, not a tongue-tied schoolgirl.

"Fine. We either talk about this now, or you come back to the League."

_'God. Damn it.'_

"I have people to save, Clark."

"Starting with Flash." Bruce didn't reply. He soared off of the rooftops once more, and was out of Superman's view in just a few seconds.

"You're a stubborn son of a bitch, Batman."

* * *

"Do you think it is a good idea to be meeting with this man?"

"He's the only lead we have, J'onn." GL replied. The two were soaring over the streets of Keystone, lights twinkling brightly below them. They hadn't gone to Wightmans Street when the criminal GL and Batman had questioned had proposed, and were instead headed there now.

"We can only hope that the street will give us information of some sort, I do not think the man will be there." J'onn thought aloud.

The two superheroes touched down onto the concrete, their boots scraping slightly on the hard grey surface.

The street was bathed in a dark yellowy-orange colour, dyed by the light from the street lamps. The litter in the gutters was around three inches thick, chewing gum pressed into the sidewalk. Wightmans Street was in a lower-class suburban area, and it definitely showed.

"What do you propose we do now?" J'onn asked his companion.

"No idea. I was kinda hoping you would've thought something up."

"Hm."

"Indeed."

They stood there for a few minutes, GL scanning the area, J'onn doing the same, each trying to think of something they could do. The criminal had said to meet here for information a few nights ago, would he still be around?

"Hey!" The two heroes looked up in sync. A man's face was poking out of a window on the fourth level of the apartment building across the street.

"He looks familiar." GL murmured to J'onn as he began to cross the road.

"I waited for you guys yesterday and the fucking day before that, where were you?"

"I'm afraid we were busy." J'onn shouted back.

"Can I suggest that we get off of the street and stop shouting before we wake everybody up?" GL shouted.

"Yeah, come in." The man called down, disappearing from the window. The two Leaguers shot each other a wary glace before stepping towards the door entrance into the apartment.

The tiles of the entrance hall were cracked and covered with dirt, the flowery dated wallpaper peeling from the wall and revealing orange paint underneath it. The stairs looked unsafe, but the heroes used them anyway.

When they reached the flat on the fourth level, they found the door already open, and light bleeding out from inside the room. Cautiously, they both stepped inside.

The man was sitting on a worn-down couch, a cigarette in between his fingers.

"You just came for the info, righ'? No other shit?"

"Yeah." GL answered, a suspicious frown appearing on his face.

"Please hurry. We are busy." J'onn reminded the criminal. They weren't busy at all, but the Martian didn't feel like staying in the area long. There was something about this apartment that made him feel uneasy.

"Want a drink?" The man asked, standing and slamming the front door.

"Please, just tell us the information." GL said, raising his voice slightly.

"Alright, alright, man. No need to get pissed." The man smirked "I'm afraid it takes me time to relay information. You might as well have a drink." He shrugged.

"Fine, just get on with it."

The criminal stood, walking over to a door, which presumably led to a kitchen. The two men stood in the living room for some time, speaking via J'onn telepathic field.

_Can we trust him, Lantern?_

_No. But we have to get this information anyway._

_Even if it is false?_

_Yep._

_I do not think it is wise to stay here._

_What makes you say that?_

_There is something bad about this place. I can sense it._

GL rolled his eyes.

_We can't just leave this place because of a bad feeling about something. Even Batman wouldn't be that paranoid._

_I know but-_

"Are you guys okay? You were lookin' real intense at each other. Am I interrupting something?"

The criminal held steaming cups of liquid in both hands, and was offering them to the heroes. J'onn accepted his and stared into the drink. It appeared to be coffee, but he wasn't so sure if the man could be trusted. He decided not to drink it, just in case.

_Lantern, the drink, do not consume it._

_Why? Is one of your super-powers detecting stale coffee?_

_I think he may have poisoned it._

_You might be right. Or this could be your paranoia speaking._

"You gonna drink it, or just stare lovingly at it for the rest of the evenin'?" The heroes looked up at him, J'onn smiled.

"You gonna tell us the information, or just delay for the rest of the evening?" GL retorted.

"Fine, let's get down to business, then."

"Let's. We want to know where the other members of the League are, and who has them."

"I'm sorry guys, but I'm afraid it's not that simple."

GL let out an agitated sigh, frustration taking over his features.

"What do you want, money or something?"

"No, I mean you don't get the information at all." J'onn looked at GL, who looked back at him.

_Have you got a plan, J'onn?_

_Yes. Can you get-_

There was a sharp sensation at the base of his skull, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw GL's arm jerk up towards his own neck. J'onn did the same, and found some sort of needle poking out of his skin. Someone was moving behind them. _'They were hiding somewhere. We should not have let our guards down.'_

Just before the ground rushed up to meet the Martian's face, he saw a flash of green light besides him, and a collected 'thunk' as GL's body hit the floor along with his.

* * *

Maybe I should change my account name to Memoirs of a Cliffhanger.


	8. Chapter 8

Argh. I had a bloody arse of a time with the tenses in this one.

Hey everyone, I'm still alive. You know that thing I said about updating in January? Yeah...I kind of lied. But it's all good now! Because I have a chapter for you all and it's extra long compared to the other ones. Yay for plot.

**AidenSurvival**: I swear, I have nothing against GL. I SWEAR.

**StarStreakedSky**: I know, but...plot. Your review is the one that actually kicked me back into writing this, by the way. So cheer for Star, everyone.

Thanks for the new followers, favoriters and readers. Special thanks to **AidenSurvival**, **StarStreakedSky**, **twilightlover4evr**, **keegan94820**, **GirlAtThePiano** and **two other** **Anons** for the reviews.

**Warning: Graphic injury detail in this one. Also, self-harm depending on how you look at it. I'm not sure if it is actually counted, but I'll put it here as a trigger anyway.**

* * *

**Morning Run Chapter Eight**

Opening his eyes was unpleasant. It had been ever since he started sleeping more than usual. Rubbing his eyes just made them even redder than they already were.

At least Wally had found a comfortable place in the small compartment to sleep. Thanks to three of the walls being reinforced glass, he hardly ever felt claustrophobic but the base fear was still there. It was always difficult for speedsters, being trapped in confined areas.

He was curled up in one corner of the cell, cold glass cooling his cheek. Wally really didn't feel like waking up. Whatever the guards here kept giving him conveniently weakened his powers. Conveniently for them, at least. He expected it to be the same for Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman if they ever woke up.

A glace to Rick's cell confirmed the fact that the man was still there. He slept almost comfortably, cushioned by his gradually depleting fat.

Wally had thought about finding a way to escape. He'd even tried it a few times. He'd attempted to vibrate through the walls, using his super speed to break up his own molecules, but he'd been too weak.

He'd tried building up his energy in hopes of having enough to break free, which had, again, not worked. The drug they kept giving him seemed to take away any and all energy he had.

Everything he'd tried had failed.

His only remaining hope had been the Justice League. That they would magically turn up and save him, the damsel in distress. All hopes of this had been crushed when he'd seen two of his friends being bundled into similar holds down the corridor from him.

Which, in turn, had made him question his "cell". Maybe the whole idea of the glass was to mock him? To say 'look how free you are, yet you cannot even escape.'

If that had been the idea, it was working. The speedster felt weaker than ever, mentally and physically. It took all his effort to not give up, although he was coming very close to it.

His only other hope was for the other captured Justice League members to wake up, but they were taking their sweet time about it. They seemed to be sleeping forever.

Wally distractedly rubbed a lax hand against his face. When his vision finally focused, he moved to stand. His hands crawling up the wall, supporting him as his legs began to take weight. Anticipating failure, the resulting buckling of knees came as no surprise.

Breath burst from his lungs as he hit the ground.

"There's always next time." Came the slimy voice of a guard entering the room. His hair was dark and greasy, almost as oily as his voice.

Wally sneered, the failure making him annoyed and more disagreeable than usual. Although he supposed that he didn't really need to treat his guards with manners.

"Why are you here?" Wally asked, his voice muffled into the tiles on the floor.

"We're not here for you." Oily replied with sudden indifference.

At that, Wally raised his head and saw three more guards entering the room. His stomach twisted with concern, despite knowing that he was not their intended victim.

The four guards walked over to the cell next to Wally's. Rick's cell.

"Hey, wait! Look, he didn't do anything." Wally scrabbled at the floor with his hands, trying to force himself up. "C'mon, man. He's innocent. Just let him go."

By the time the speedster had realized that his frantic scrambling was pointless, the four men had opened Rick's door and dragged the drowsy man out.

Seeing no other way, Wally dragged himself across the floor and managed to reach the glass door of his compartment.

Rick's eyes latched onto his with confusion, fear, and another emotion that Wally's befuddled mind wasn't able to recognize.

The clang of the metal door to the corridor left the room of cells in silence, and Wally slumped to the ground.

Maybe Rick and his innocent family were being released? Wally could only hope. These days, there was little else left to do.

He was tired of sitting around, having nothing to do but sleep. The other two Justice League members lay peacefully on their own cell floors, and the room's silence emphasized how alone the speedster really was.

Frustrated, the redhead bashed his open palm against the flat of the glass. It strangely felt like he was accomplishing something, so he did it again. And once more.

Soon he couldn't stop and, in his anger, he found himself full on punching the glass with fury. Although, in his weakened state, he damaged himself more than the actual glass wall.

Someone must have heard him, he thought dully, as the glass door opened. He was grabbed from under the armpits, and then thrown backwards to the floor. It was only then when he saw what a mess he had made of his own hands. Looking up at the wall, he could see quite clearly (despite blurred vision due to sudden pain) smears of redness painting the glass.

There were guards around him, he couldn't quite tell how many, and they were kicking him. The speedster relished in the irony of the fact that they had stopped him from hurting himself just so that they could do it for him.

A giggle burst it's way from him lips, and before he could stop, he was laughing.

* * *

Batman was never one to give in easily. Alfred knew this. Robin knew this. Nightwing knew this. It was time Superman learnt it also.

Although it was a stubborn move, and admittedly stupid, Bruce had not returned to the Watchtower after Superman's visit. After all, he worked best alone. And anyway, Superman still had J'onn and Green Lantern to work with.

"GL and J'onn are gone." Superman informed him via earpiece. He sounded defeated. Utterly, utterly defeated. "How did we let a common thug do this, Bruce? We can take down super-human gods, but not a bunch of cronies?"

Batman could almost see the kryptonian rubbing his forehead.

"I give in. I'll come back." Bruce quietly replied, more to himself than to the man of steel.

"What? Did I just hear Gotham's Knight admit defeat?" Trust Superman to try and make light of such a situation. Bruce smiled anyway.

"I doubt your super-powered ears could deceive you." Batman sarcastically retorted. "I'll come to the Watchtower now, if you're there."

"I'm at the fortress, actually, but I'll meet you there anyway."

The Watchtower was eerily quiet when Batman got there. Obviously it was to be expected, with more than half of its members kidnapped. The only sound to be heard was the clank of footsteps upon metal, as Superman approached the caped crusader.

"Can you track either of them?" Bruce asked, when they had both reached the monitor room.

"Same as the others, just static on the other end. It means the earpieces aren't connected. Whether that's because-"

"Yes, Clark, I'm aware of the small print." He was starting to feel a little sickened by the idea of all his associates being dead.

He had tried everything. He'd tried tracking people, questioning criminals, searching abandoned buildings. Nothing had gained him any more information. Slowly, people had begun to notice the disappearance of certain League members. Flash, mainly. He'd been gone for weeks, and was usually seen quite often in Keystone. Naturally it hadn't taken long for the media to hook onto his absence, and make up their own stories. Bruce hadn't been able to stomach watching the news channels recently. Every now and again a picture of the speedster would pop up on the screen and Bruce would feel a twist of his gut. He hadn't discerned yet if it was due to guilt, or something else.

Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time before the media began to notice the disappearance of the other four members.

* * *

Time had passed, although Wally doesn't know how much of it. It couldn't have been very long because he can feel injuries all over him. Normally, with his heightened healing system, it would only take perhaps a few hours for even the most severe of injuries to partially heal. This wasn't 'normally', though. He had to assume that all of his powers had gone to shit at the moment, even the healing ones.

The guards had left him now, but had not cleaned up their mess. The floor and Wally were both covered with sticky blood. His sight was still blurred and unfocused, but even then he could still discern the new members of the cells either side of him.

GL lay with his head turned to Wally, his often-stern face looking twenty years younger with the relaxation of his features. J'onn faced away, only showing Wally his back.

With effort, he managed to raise his head enough to see that Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman still hadn't woken. Maybe they'd been given some form of sedative because they were more powerful than him. That thought pissed him off a little bit.

So they'd captured five of them now. How long would it be until Supes and Bats graced the cold tile flooring of the cellblock? In that moment, Wally felt stronger than ever. He'd waited too long, relishing on the idea of being saved by his friends. Now that they had arrived here as the prisoners instead of saviors, he knew he could wait no longer. If any hero was going to get them out of this, it was going to be the conscious hero, darn it.

With this newfound strength, Wally raised himself successfully, using the wall to lean on. He slowly edged his way back to the door. When he reached its slightly bloodstained frame, he braced himself for something that he knew was going to hurt or go terribly wrong.

All that energy he had saved up, that hadn't gone into bashing himself against the wall, was poured into this. His molecules began to vibrate, his powers returning for as long as he willed them to. The speedster could hardly believe it when the tip of his fingers began to slide into and through the glass, as though it was made of water.

With great difficulty, he drew up his right leg and pushed that into the glass too. His forearms and right leg were through the glass now. He almost laughed when he thought of how it would probably look to an outsider.

Building up more speed, his head and torso followed his hands and right leg. He was almost free, so close.

All that was left now was his left arm and leg, but he was tired. The energy was beginning to leave him, and Wally frantically realized that he had never done this before without a full supply of energy.

What would happen if he simply stopped vibrating?! Would his arm be severed? Would he be stuck in the glass?

He panicked. He could feel his molecules slowing down to a moderate hum, and without thinking, he dragged his remaining body out of the glass.

It was the worse pain he'd ever felt in his life.

His arm felt like he'd dipped it in a volcano. Wally didn't scream. No matter what, he wouldn't give away what he was doing. He couldn't bear to look at his arm. He was kneeling on the floor at this point. The cold tile was warm, though. Blood was always quite good at keeping you warm when it pooled around your knees, he supposed.

Drawing up whatever mental power he had left, he turned his head to the left in order to understand what had happened to his leg and arm.

The redhead bent over further and retched up whatever was left in his stomach.

Most of his skin had been flayed from his arm and leg. What was left was a gory image of blood, muscle, small areas of skin, and more blood.

He threw up again.

He heard a moan from his right, and with great effort, turned his head toward the sound. To his absolute joy, Hawkgirl's eyes fluttered open. As she was lying on her back, she couldn't see Wally. He waited to see if she would try and sit up, grateful for the distraction from his wrecked arm.

For a few minutes she just lay there.

Finally, she propped herself up by using her two perfect, unharmed arms. Unfocused eyes find Wally, Hawkgirl promptly lets out a hoarse scream. Luckily, the drugs given to her affected Shayera as they had affected Wally, dulling down her voice so that her scream resembled a groan. What really kills Wally is the fact that, despite everything she was feeling at the moment, Hawkgirl's face mostly shows relief at finally finding her little brother.

Wally pressed the index finger of his right hand to his own mouth, shushing Shayera. She nodded, and lowered her head back to the ground.

Wally stood, the nerves of his left leg blazing into an inferno. He ignored it, instead stumbling towards the door. It suddenly hit the speedster that he doesn't actually have a plan, and that on the other side of this door, there is most likely a guard. At this point, however, he doesn't even care anymore.

With a firm grip on the handle of the door to the cell room, he swung it outwards, expecting to be attacked but instead finding nothing.

The place doesn't even look intimidating. It's just a building. How was somewhere like this keeping five super-humans from escaping?!

Wally counted natural direction as one of his best powers, and so on a whim turns left down the wide corridor of the complex, seeing no windows in sight. There are just plain brick walls and other corridors stemming off from his, but no guards anywhere. The place is slightly damp. He can hear drips of water coming from somewhere, and the walls have some type of mold growing on them.

Wally wanders around for what seemed like days, encountering nothing. Perhaps they were being kept underground. Perhaps he's going in circles. The idea that he's lost for all eternity is crushed when a grey metal door at the end of one corridor appears.

Frantically limping to it, he paused only a mere second before swinging it open, finding inside a room compiled completely of metal cabinets.

That's when (goddamn it, he was making progress) the sound of running reaches his ears. Wally knows this might be his only chance, so he begins to open cabinets quickly, disregarding the agony it causes him. Two drawers are empty, one has a used coffee cup in it, another has files in it, and the last contains five small black objects that Wally instantly recognizes.

He reaches for one, but is pulled away at the last second by two men that he can only assume are guards. Again.

"Aren't you the clever one." Alas. It is Oily again.

"What do you want us to do with him?" The other man asked. He was holding a walkie-talkie to his mouth with one hand, whilst clutching Wally's right arm with the other.

"Take him back to his confinement." A man replied from the other end. He had the voice of an educated man, perhaps even a wealthy one. His voice sounded thick and rich, the sound of a well fed person, full of unseen glee and mirth.

"Please!" Wally shouted at the electronic device. "Tell me why you're doing this!"

"Buddy, as if I'd tell you." The voice responded, laughing. "Take him back, you two. Don't feel it necessary to be gentle."


	9. Chapter 9

Whenever I go for a month without updating, guilt finally persuades me to actually finish whatever chapter I'm editing.

My GCSEs are soon, so updates will most likely continue with the 'once-a-month' update rota thing I've got going on.

Thanks to everyone for reading, following, favouriting and all that good stuff. Special thanks to **Tattle-tail-Secret09**, **GirlAtThePiano**,** CAEL-TAiyo-Kurama-kage**, **XxXxFading DreamxXxX**, **Ithilwen-Asari**, **AidenSurvival** and the **Anon** who left reviews. Hugs for you all.

_Chapter Nine_

_" '-And the Keystone soccer team won the match against Metropolis 3-1. I think we could definitely see a promotion around the corner!'_

_'Thanks, Steve. Now back to our ongoing news. Five members of the Justice League have come under harsh criticism after disappearing from public view. Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman and Keystone's very own Flash haven't been seen for as long as a week. _

_Claire has gathered local opinions on the street. Claire, to you.'_

_'Thanks, Sophie. The general consensus on the street is negative. The public seem to be united in the idea that Earth has been abandoned by it's own protectors. Ma'am, what do you think of this?'_

_'They should be up there protecting us! They have a duty and a responsibility! I know at least four people who have been mugged or stolen from, and it's the Justice League's fault.'_

_'And you, sir? What's your opinion on these events?'_

_'Irresponsible. They can't expect crime to just come to a halt whenever they go on holiday. It's ridiculous.'_

_'As you can see, Sophie, the people of Keystone aren't happy with the lack of-"_

Batman turned off the monitor screen, and rested his head into a gloved hand. It had been this way for a week and a half now. The problem was, he and Superman had no idea what to do. A press conference would be the best idea, but – a press conference. For superheroes. It was a ridiculous idea, and one that had been neglected almost as quickly as it had been brought up.

Regardless, things really had been getting worse. Already there had been one riot after three children were assaulted coming home from school, being rushed to hospital with two boys almost dieing. Usually, the Justice League would have easily prevented a crime of this enormity, but with only two members left – one of them with no powers – it was becoming increasingly difficult to attend every situation. Especially now that Batman was dedicating every second of his time to finding the others.

Where he had searched before, he searched again in blind hope that there might be new clues, or new suspects to interrogate.

Superman had suggested at one point to re-interrogate Captain Cold, who had been languishing in prison after his attempted kidnapping of Flash, but the man had conveniently disappeared a few days after it was suggested.

Not only this, but Batman and Superman had also been on the receiving end of a number of attempted kidnappings. To combat this, they had both spent a lot more time in the Watchtower than usual, concerned about future attacks proving successful.

"We can't give up, Bruce." Superman rested a hand on the caped crusader's shoulder, lifting his hand away when Batman turned and glared.

"I know that. But right now, people are losing hope. We have to do something about that."

Superman turned on his heel, and began to walk to the door. "You never seemed one to care about the public's opinion much, Bruce."

"This is more than opinion. This could lead to a full revolution against costumed heroes."

The man of steel turned back towards him sharply, his cape getting caught in the updraft. Bruce had known that Superman would react to his statement. To the Kryptonian, Earth was his only home. Being shunned away from it by the people he'd worked at so hard to protect would be a severe blow to him.

"What do we do, Bruce?"

Batman let the question hang over both of them for a little while, not purely for dramatic purposes. He truly had no answer to that question. To him, there was nothing either of them could do, but resume the search for the others.

"Well, if you're just going to sit there brooding, I suppose I will be the one to take action." A blur of red and blue material marked Superman's exit, leaving Batman completely alone in the cold, barren monitor room.

Wally's escape had given him hope. Before, the walls had pressed in on him in the cell, intimidating him and controlling him, forcing him to focus on nothing but the intensity of his entrapment. Now that he knew escape was possible, however, he found himself thinking a lot more than usual.

His friends were awake now.

Well, all of them but J'onn. Despite the brutality of his kidnappers, they certainly weren't stupid. Perhaps they intended to keep J'onn unconscious for the entirety of his 'stay' there.

The others were doing reasonably fine. Diana seemed drowsy and drunken, with no signs of regaining strength, but was thankfully becoming conscious.

GL and Hawkgirl were able to move around slightly and talk without slurring, but without their assets, they couldn't make any attempts to get out of their cells.

Wally was better. His limbs throbbed, but he'd been lucky enough to receive medical care from his guards.

Still, his conditions were less than sanitary, blood and infected pus quickly leaking through the material covering his arm and leg. There had been a scary few hours when he'd had a few symptoms of fever, but that was behind him now.

To pass the time, he'd begun to illustrate to his fellow prisoners the situation that they were in.

"-And so I woke up, and then you guys were here, and I escaped for a little while. But I'm back now."

Hawkgirl nodded mutely, obviously remembering what she had witnessed.

With nothing else to say, Wally slumped further down the far wall of his cell, and resumed clutching at his weeping arm.

He didn't like looking down at it. He'd seen much worse during his time with the League, but it was oddly different seeing something so grotesque on himself as opposed to on other people.

Hawkgirl had closed her eyes, probably to sleep again. Wally thought it was better that way, she'd recover quicker. The others were asleep too, now, leaving Wally alone.

So, with nothing else to do, Wally began to plan.

Batman shook his head in wonder. He had never been able to decide if Superman was truly this stupid, or if it was just an act to put people off.

There stood the man of steel, red and blue on the Watchtower monitor screen, talking to the press.

_Talking to the press._

What was he hoping to achieve? As if the people would be satisfied with a simple interview. Not to mention the fact that Clark was risking himself out in the open.

Stupid, stupid Clark.

Batman shook his head again, resting his head into his hand for what felt like the fiftieth time that day. The last few weeks had been a constant nightmare. He was beginning to wonder if it would ever end. Maybe they would be stuck like this until they were old men, never seeing the others again. Could Superman even get old? Batman presumed so. He'd have to ask him on his return.

To his credit, however, Superman was answering the questions put to him very well. He'd already explained the basis of the situation. Although, not the fact that five members of the League had been kidnapped, instead saying that they were 'currently unavailable for reasons beyond our control' adding that said reasons were not 'holiday-related'.

Batman had to grin at that. Superman could be suave when needed.

And then it all happened in a matter of seconds, someone in a shifty-looking coat had approached the podium at which Superman stood, drawing out a weapon of which the camera angle didn't allow Bruce to see.

Then, there were shifty-looking coats everywhere. Swarming in the crowd, near the cameras and the media.

The monitor screen fuzzed, as the feed was apparently cut.

Batman sprung to action immediately, heart pounding. He used his earpiece to contact Clark, whilst using the monitor to trace his position.

"Superman! Do you read me?"

"Yep, yeah, I'm fine." He sounded slightly shocked, but seemed okay.

"What happened out there?"

"Apparently nobody alerted our friends that it would take a kryptonite-tipped needle to penetrate my skin."

"Ah."

"Although, I can hardly blame them. Kryptonite isn't the easiest thing to get your hands on."

Batman smirked and said, "Do you want me to teleport you back, or…?"

"No. I've got to clear some stuff up back here. They all just disappeared, you know? One minute they were there, the next – gone."

"Hm, sounds familiar." Batman cut the link with a grimace.

He had his suspicions about what had happened. After all, who did they know that could easily replicate the image of himself?

Two things were for sure, though.

One, Superman wouldn't be so relaxed about going into public anymore.

And two, everyone now knew what had happened to the others.


	10. Chapter 10

Oh hi, guys. It hasn't been too long, has it?

*checks calendar*

Bugger.

Thanks to everyone who **read**, **followed**, **favourited** and **made love to** this story. You're all beautiful human beings.

Special thanks to the people who left reviews, **Mozart's Fantasy**, **UnstableDread**, **XxXxFading DreamxXxX**, **AidenSurvival**, **lollypop1233**, **OptimusPrimeAddict** and **IamBatgirl**.

**AidenSurvival**: Y u no update again ::Sadface::

**XxXxFading DreamxXxX**: Wally is always super relaxed, even in the tensest situations. He's on my zombie apocalypse team because he'd probably just crack jokes all the time.

By the way, if you're unsure about when I'm updating, I usually keep info written on my profile. Enjoy.

Chapter Ten

Wally paced the small cell with surprising agility; his weak limp only obvious to those who looked for it. It was odd, but he liked to think that the time (however long it had been) spent in the cell had given him more strength than any physical training ever could. What was more, it had sharpened his wits.

The redhead had never been one for planning things out, preferring to 'wing it' and hope for the best. This time however had been different. He realized that the only way he could possibly hope to escape now, slept in the fifth draw down of the third metal cabinet he had investigated in his last escape.

He knew he only had one chance. One chance to re-escape, one chance to find the right route again.

He wasn't pacing because he was nervous, no, it was…well, it _was_ nervous pacing. But the confident type of nervous pacing.

He was rambling now.

The speedster looked over at the others. Their doses had been increased again, and they all lay sprawled on the floor, eyes closed. Wally hoped he could do this for them, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

Wally inwardly groaned. That had been a _Superman_-tier angsty thought.

Captivity was definitely weakening his humor, all right. If he kept this up, he might start thinking like Batman, and that prospect scared him more than any prison cell could.

Mentally running through his plan once again, for good measure, Wally placed both hands on the glass of his cell, attempting to quiet down the spikes of nervousness in his stomach.

He had been practicing his phasing-through-materials skill for the past few days, and was determined to not screw it up this time.

He closed his eyes all too aware of his leg and arm's soreness, which seemed to almost cruelly remind him of how he had failed before.

He concentrated more than he ever had in his life, and when he opened his eyes again, he was on the other side of the glass, unharmed. Had he been somewhere else, he would've whooped, or perhaps done a victory lap.

Instead, he settled for a nice simple air-punch.

Bracing himself, he crept towards the door. In one swift movement, Wally opened it and punched whatever object had been right outside.

The guard fell to the floor with a thunk and Wally, as an afterthought, searched the guy for any weaponry and, finding some, proceeded to hide it behind a few conveniently stacked boxes.

Pleased, he stepped out into the corridor, of which he had been trying his best to remember the layout of for the past few hours. Which way had he gone before? He decided to count on his natural direction, as it had helped him enormously last time.

Marveling at the lack of guards again, he walked quickly down the mossy corridors. He was sure the direction he was heading in was right, and therefore briskly turned the fifth corner of his journey without thinking to check for guards.

Walking away from him were two figures, one of which Wally recognized very well, the other of which was unrecognizable, but decidedly plump.

Had he escaped _already_? Wally distinctly remembered the man being arrested after the weird attempted kidnapping-thing.

Captain Cold was talking quietly to the other man, as they turned the corner at the other end of the corridor.

Wally blinked, once, twice, and then continued on to his destination, which was thankfully in a different direction.

It was hardly surprising that Cold had been in league with his captors, he had contacted someone before, after all, when trying to abduct Flash. Wally would look into it when he escaped.

Wally turned what could have been the ninth or fifteenth (he'd lost count) corner of the complex, when he was stopped by the grey metal door.

A kind of floating, euphoric feeling swelled up in Wally's chest, the feeling of accomplishment against all odds.

He pushed at the door, hand all too happy to meet the cold steel once again, and stepped into the room that felt more like a friend than anything else.

Just as he'd anticipated, the filing cabinets were still there. His captors didn't seem so intelligent now. Any sane guard would have moved them if he'd known his prisoner had been dicking around with the contents.

Wally pulled at the fifth draw down of the third cabinet, a faint rattling emitting, to his delight.

Wally stared down at the five dead communicators, grin plastering his face. He took one, not caring whose, and switched it on by the small button at the bottom. The red light flickered, making the speedster's heart flicker along with it for a second, but eventually both rectified themselves.

He then turned the thing off, aware of the fact that keeping it on would most likely attract bad attention as opposed to good, and placed the once more dead electronic device in the metal drawer. The feeling in his stomach glowed brighter, and Wally was sure that this time HE had saved the day for once. He couldn't wait to rub this in GL's face.

He left the room.

Walked down the corridor.

Didn't see the host of guards approaching him from behind, and saw nothing else as they pulled cloth down over his face and pulled his arms behind his back.

But even then, the warmth in his stomach didn't flicker as the red light had. Even if these men killed him, or hid him somewhere else, he had saved him friends.

And that, he thought, was good enough for him.

Night had fallen again, and Gotham had awoken as it always did when the last rays of sun faded. Batman crouched on a building edge, over an alley, staring out at his territory.

If you squinted your eyes enough, the lights of the city could almost be mistaken for stars.

But Batman knew too much, had suffered too much in the city to see it for anything other than what it was, a disease. And the Dark Knight, ever the 'doctor', had tried to heal it but had failed again and again.

With the recent developments, even his own city had lost faith in him. At least, the ones who had harbored faith in the beginning had. Those who had hated him from the start just despised him even more.

What, the people said, could this 'hero' do for the city if he couldn't even save his friends? And they were right, Bruce and Batman agreed.

Looking over the city again just reminded him of his failures.

Each bright point of light, which shone from the surrounded city, so unlike stars, was a person he couldn't save. Each streetlamp a crime he hadn't stopped. And all of it mocked him. Even his signal, sitting snugly atop the police HQ roof, a stark reminder of how he had gone wrong.

He brooded on this, something he had perfected over the years. Perhaps the only thing.

And then his comm link beeped an alert.

And then it beeped again, and Superman spoke.

"I've found a signal from one of the other communicators. I don't want to get your hopes up, but I think it's genuine. I think we've got it."

A dark sort of hope rose in Batman's chest despite the Man of Steel's disclaimer.

"Teleport me to the Watchtower."

"Doing it now."

The city faded away to a brightly lit room, and Batman had to squint for a second in order to adjust his eyes.

Superman was tapping away at the monitor keyboard, frantic, as one of the screen zoomed in on a location.

Without a second lost, Batman leant over the other man's shoulder to see where the comm had been traced to.

"Let's go." Batman said without hesitation.

"Wait, don't you think we should be more careful?" Superman asked slowly. "For all we know, this is another attempt to capture us, too."

"Point accepted. Let's go anyway."

"Bruce, I know you've been feeling guilty about this whole situation, but I don't blame it on you. Nobody does. We can't rush into this. We're their last hope."

"I hope you realize, _Clark_, that every second we stand here talking is a second we're wasting. For all we know, _this_ is their last hope."

Superman opened his mouth as if to reply, but closed it with a slightly audible snap. He paused for a second, and then nodded.

They teleported themselves back down to earth, not far away from where they had traced the comm to, and flew (and in Batman's case, swung) swiftly closer to it.

Maybe, Batman thought whilst jumping from one roof to another, all those lights in Gotham weren't just there to mock him night after night. They were, perhaps, little signals of hope. Those who had been lost, who Batman couldn't save, lighting up the night sky in order to remind him, motivate him. That thought kept him going.

* * *

Bruce has been watching _The Lion King_ again.


End file.
